Seth
With the show coming to an end, people had started heading towards the bar. Roman had a few things to take care of so Dean and I hung around with him before heading out. I could tell Dean was anxious to get there. He kept looking at his phone every two minutes and staring at the clock. He’d been trying to keep his relationship with Renee quiet for the sake of business but we knew how much he really liked her. We’d covered for him quite a few times when he’d snuck away with her. Whatever a brother needed, we had his back.
Roman came out of his last interview and the three of us got changed into our regular clothes before meeting up with everyone.
The place wasn’t too big so it seemed more crowded than it actually was. In the dim lights, we started to make out who was there and who wasn’t. Dean immediately broke off to find Renee leaving Roman and I on our own.
After saying we said our hellos I ordered us a beer from the bar while he went to take a piss. I leaned against the counter, looking out at everyone while the bartender grabbed me one. I couldn’t see Hazel at first until she burst from the bathroom doors with Sasha, laughing so hard she was holding her stomach.
She was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of distressed denim shorts that made me what to lick every square in of her toned legs. . It brought a smile to my lips but I quickly took a pull from my bottle to avoid looking like a creeper just staring at her from across the room.
“Seth!” Summer Rae called out as she approached me.
Her arms wrapped around my torso and she pulled me in for a hug, her head resting against my chest. I could smell the alcohol coming off her but to be polite, I returned the hug. When I lifted my head to look for Dolph, Hazel’s eyes met mine. She smiled, giving me a small wave but continued talking to her group.
“Hey, Summer. How much have you had to drink?” I asked, practically holding her up.
“I don’t know!” She answered in a shrill half giggle. “Dolph and I got here first so we kept ourselves busy.”
“I see that.” I laughed. “Where is Dolph?”
“I dunno!” She did an exaggerated shrug.
I tried to scan the bar for him. No way I was going to be stuck having a sloppy Summer attached to my hip all night. His bleached blonde hair was nowhere in site but I caught a glimpse of Hazel nursing a beer as she prepped a pool table.
Bingo, she was finally alone. I leaned Summer against the bar, making sure she wasn’t going to fall over before I crossed the room. Hazel had her back turned towards me and I poked her sides making her laugh and jump.
Ticklish. Good to know.
“Seth!” She smiled, turning around. “Hey!”
“Mind if I join you?” I asked.
Holy shit, she was wearing a Parkway Drive t-shirt. Same one I owned but she had shredded parts of hers and tied the hem in a knot to expose her stomach. Goddamn she was a dream.
Hazel
“Nope.” I replied, handing him a pool stick. Resting my beer on the edge of the table, I leaned against him motioning towards the balls. “You break.”
“Alright.” He smiled, positioning himself on the table before hitting the balls making a solid colored one go in. “Solids.”
He went again, missing this time and taking a sip of his beer while I leaned into the table, taking my turn.
“So, you’re a fan of Parkway drive?” He asked, motioning towards my shirt.
“Yeah, it’s like my favorite band.” I answered, hitting a stripe into a corner pocket.
“Mine too!” He chuckled. “Favorite song on 3? 1…2…3 -”
“Wild eyes.” We answered simultaneously.
I broke out laughing. “No fucking way!”
“How can you be into Parkway Drive but listen to ‘Drunk in Love’ in the gym?!” He laughed.
“First of all! Beyonce is appropriate for any situation!” I corrected playfully, taking another shot. “And second of all, it helps me cool down and stretch out after a workout.”
He laughed, shaking his head, “Can’t say you didn’t look good doing it.”
“Liked what you saw huh?” I smirked, stepping aside for him to take a turn.
“I’ve never been more thankful to not be blind.” He admitted with chuckle.
“Well, you definitely weren’t bad yourself.” I smiled, finishing my beer. “You heading home after tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’m dying for a home-cooked meal. You?”
“For like a day, then I’m back on the road for a couple of interviews.”
“That’s right. The life of a Champ. I remember.” He smirked, motioning for me to take my turn.
There were only a few balls left on the table at this point, I leaned in as far and I could but I couldn’t get a good angle. Seth put his bottle down, coming up behind me adjusting my body to help me take the shot.
“Thank you.” I blushed as he pulled away.
“Everyone needs a little help sometime.” He smiled, finishing off his beer. “I’m going to grab another, you want one?”
“Yeah, I’d love one.” I nodded.
He disappeared into the crowd and I moved to the music setting us up for another round. A few minutes later I felt a set of arms wrap around me from behind. The smell of Seth’s cologne bringing comfort as he swayed with me. His hard body held me against as he lowered his head, nestling it into my neck.
“I love this song.” I said, speaking louder over the sound.
“I can admit it’s not half bad.” He smiled, handing me one of the bottles while still holding me against him. “You ready for round two?”
“Born ready!” I laughed, taking a drink from my bottle before grabbing my pool stick again.
—
The rest of the time was spend with us going back and forth harmlessly flirting. After another round of pool, we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel, both of us having early flights in the morning.
I thought after the whirlwind of a day I’d had, I’d finally manage to get a good night’s sleep before my flight, but I was wrong.
So. So. Wrong.
Around 4 in the morning, I woke up hacking up a lung and my body felt like I was on fire. After taking a sip of some water and making my way to the bathroom, the movement gave me motion sickness and I ended up with my head in the toilet emptying out the contents of my stomach for the next 10 minutes.
It wasn’t until a knock on the door that I got up the courage to get my head off of the lid and check who it was.
It was Seth. Great. Why in the hell would he need to see me like this?
“Shit. You look worse than you sound.” He said immediately after opening the door.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked, leaning my head against the doorframe.
Dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a black hoodie, he stepped inside, placing a hand on my forehead. When his hand touched me, it felt like ice and and I collapsed into his arms.
“Woah, woah woah. I think you might have the flu.” He said, lifting me up into his arms and laying me down on the bed. “I’ve heard you coughing all night. Once I heard you throwing up, I figured I’d check on you.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” I managed to get out in between coughs.
“Yeah, I did. You’re burning up. I’m going to find a 24 hour pharmacy and get you some medication. Stay put okay. Where’s your room key so you don’t have to get up.”
“On the TV stand.” I answered, turning on my side and throwing a pillow over my head,
The door shut behind him and I tossed and turned trying to find a position that wouldn’t contribute to the headache no I’d gotten from coughing. There was no way I was going to make my flight in a couple of hours. No airline in the world would let me board anyway.
I reached for my phone but the bright light made me yell out in pain and hide my face back under the pillow. Great.
I don’t remember when Seth got back but he sat on the edge of the bed, setting a plastic bag on the nightstand.
“Hey.” He said gently. “Open your mouth, I got a thermometer.”
I did as told and he put the thermometer under my tongue, resting his other hand on my hip, his thumb brushing my skin softly. After it beeped, he pulled it out taking a look at it.
“Damn, 102.7. No wonder you’re throwing up. If it doesn’t go down with the Tylenol I’m going to take you to the hospital.” He said, opening a bottle of water and helping me up so I could take the two pills.
“Seth. You don’t have to do this.” I moaned. “You have a flight soon.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I can’t leave you here alone.” He shook his head. “I’ll call the airline and extend our rooms an extra night. If we can get your fever down you should be okay to fly by Wednesday.”
“Thank- thank you.” I said, still taken aback by everything he was willing to do. “My passport and itinerary are on the dresser. Are you sure you wanna stay? What about having a home cooked meal?”
“I’m sure.” He smiled reassuringly, rubbing my legs. “Get some rest. I’m going to take care of this.”
I couple of hours later my coughing still hadn’t subsided. Seth had taken care of our flights and our rooms then had sat next to me on the bed holding a cool compress on my forehead to cool me down.
By now the sun had come up and all that was on tv were infomercials and daytime trash which was a guilty pleasure of mine and apparently his to.
“That bitch is lying.” I said, resting my head against his stomach as we watched an episode of the Steve Wilkos show .
“ How is she lying? Between taking care of four kids and college, when would she find the time?” He argued.
“The lie detector results determine, she did not tell the truth.” Steve said on the tv.
“Damn.” Seth laughed. “I suck at this. Let’s see how your fever’s doing.”
Without moving me or the moist towel on my forehead, he reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the thermometer, putting it back under my tongue until it beeped.
“Down to 99. We’re getting you there.” He chuckled, giving me two more Tylenol to take.
“Thank you so much for doing this. I’m sure there’s a million other things you would’ve been doing today.” I said, laying my head back down on his stomach as he adjusted his arm around me again to hold the towel on my forehead.
“You kidding me? You’re like the coolest person I know. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.” He said with a smile.
“ Ugh, you’re so sweet, I could vomit.” I said jokingly, getting a laugh out of him.
Seth
“Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!” We chanted along with the audience of the show for the final segment of the show.
I couldn’t remember the last time I laid in bed this long doing nothing but I was thoroughly enjoying it.
After running out to get her some soup, her cough had finally calmed down enough to let her relax a little while. Halfway through a second episode of Maury, she managed to drift off to sleep.
Dressed in a white tank top and a pair of blue cotton shorts, the poor thing looked so fragile and vulnerable. Nothing like the girl in the ring or even the girl at the bar. Her hair was up in a messy bun, strands of it damp from the wet towel and her own sweat. Her nose had a red ring around the nostrils from her blowing her nose and her cheeks were flushed with an innocent shade of pink that made me want to stop everything and just hold her until she got better.
“Hey.” I answered my phone on the first ring as to not wake her.
“Hey brother. It’s Roman. How’s she doing?”
“Her fever’s gone down a little. She’s finally asleep.” I answered, looking down at her laying her head on my lap, running my fingers up and down her back. “You guys make it home yet?”
“Nah. Apparently there was a fire at some part of the airport so everyone’s still here with delayed flights. I still would rather be here than taking care of some sick chick though. Can’t believe you.” He laughed.
“Trust me when I say this brother. There’s not a single place I’d rather be right now.” I answered truthfully as Hazel let out a sleepy moan, turning around with her back towards me.
Roman, Dean, and I were a team. We traveled everywhere together. Even though Dean was pussy whipped on Renee, he still rode with us and she rode with her friends. Just the way it was. Bros before hoes type thing. Except that didn’t feel like the situation here.
Not at all.
“And you say Dean’s got it bad.” he laughed. “Alright. We’re boarding. Call me when you get home then.”
“Alright. Have a safe flight.” I said hanging up the phone.
Seconds later her phone went off with the volume extra loud. Immediately I reached over to grab it. The name Red flashed across the screen and I’ answered it without thinking.
“Hey babe. Your mom told me you couldn’t make it home. You okay?” A woman’s voice came from the other end.
“Uh,” I cleared my throat. “Who’s this?”
There was silence for a second followed by “Who the fuck is this? Where’s Hazel?”
I slid out of bed trying not to wake her. “This is Seth. Seth Rollins. I’m the one that texted her mom. Hazel finally fell asleep. I didn’t want the phone to wake her.”
“Oh.” The tone of her voice became less aggressive. “Okay. This is her aunt. Tell her I’m going to have Jeff come check in on her. He’s in the city so he won’t be too long.”
Lita? I was on the phone with fucking Lita? It felt surreal even for me. Who was Jeff?
“Uh, su-sure. She’s in room 402.” I replied.
“Alright, sweetheart. Tell her to call me when she’s up.”
“Okay.” I managed to say as she hung up the phone.